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Understanding

dissociative disorders

understanding

dissociative
disorders
Understanding dissociative disorders

This booklet explains what dissociative disorders


are, including possible causes and how you can
access treatment and support. Includes tips for
helping yourself, and guidance for friends and
family.

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Contents
What is dissociation? 4

What are dissociative disorders? 7

What are the causes? 9

How will I be diagnosed? 13

How can I help myself cope? 15

What treatments can help? 19

What is non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD)? 21

What can friends or family do to help? 22

Useful contacts 25

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Understanding dissociative disorders

What is dissociation?
Dissociation is one way the mind copes with too much stress, such as
during a traumatic event. The word dissociation can be used in different
ways but it usually describes an experience where you feel disconnected
in some way from the world around you or from yourself.

If you dissociate for a long time, especially when you are young, you may
develop a dissociative disorder. Instead of dissociation being something
you experience for a short time it becomes a far more common experience
and often the main way you deal with stressful experiences.

When might I dissociate?


• For many people, dissociation is a natural response to trauma
that they can’t control. It could be a response to a one-off traumatic
event or ongoing trauma and abuse. You can read more in ‘What
are the causes?’ on p.9.
• Some people choose to dissociate as a way of calming down or
focusing on a task. Or as part of a religious or cultural ritual.
• You might experience dissociation as a symptom of a mental
health problem (for example schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,
borderline personality disorder or post traumatic stress disorder) or
as a side effect of some drugs, medication, coming off some
medication and alcohol.

How might I experience dissociation?


Dissociation can be experienced in lots of different ways.

Psychiatrists have tried to group these experiences and give them names.
This can help doctors make a diagnosis of a specific dissociative disorders.
But you can have any of these dissociative experiences even if you don’t
have a diagnosed dissociative disorder.

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What is dissociation?

Some dissociative experiences include: A doctor or


psychiatrist
might call
these
experiences:
• having gaps in your life where you can’t
remember anything that happened
dissociative
• not being able to remember information about
amnesia
yourself or about things that happened in your
life
• travelling to a different location and taking on a
new identity for a short time (without dissociative fugue
remembering your identity)
• feeling as though the world around you is
unreal
• seeing objects changing in shape, size or colour
derealisation
• seeing the world as ‘lifeless’ or ‘foggy’
• feeling as if other people are robots (even
though you know they are not)
• feeling as though you are watching yourself in
a film or looking at yourself from the outside
• feeling as if you are just observing your
emotions
• feeling disconnected from parts of your body or depersonalisation
your emotions
• feeling as if you are floating away
• feeling unsure of the boundaries between
yourself and other people

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Understanding dissociative disorders

• your identity shifting and changing


• speaking in a different voice or voices
• using a different name or names
• switching between different parts of your
personality
identity alteration
• feeling as if you are losing control to ‘someone
else’
• experiencing different parts of your identity at
different times
• acting like different people, including children
• finding it very difficult to define what kind of
person you are
identify confusion
• feeling as though there are different people
inside you

Triggers and flashbacks


A trigger is a reminder of something traumatic from the past, which can
cause you to experience dissociation or other reactions. It could be a
sight, sound, taste, smell or touch. It could be a situation or way of
moving your body. Many different things can be or become triggers.

In a flashback you may suddenly experience traumatic sensations or


feelings from the past. This might be prompted by encountering a trigger.
You may experience the flashback as reliving a traumatic event in the
present. A flashback may cause you to switch to another part of your
identity.

I felt like my body didn’t belong to me, it was like I was an


outsider watching my own story unfold.

If you have dissociated memories (because of amnesia or because you


experience different identity states with different memories) then you may
find that these resurface during flashbacks.

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What are dissociative disorders?

What are dissociative disorders?


You may be diagnosed with a dissociative disorder if you experience
dissociation regularly and these episodes of dissociation are severe
enough to affect your everyday life.

You might experience dissociation and find it difficult to cope with even if
you don’t have a dissociative disorder (for example it might be a symptom
of another mental health problem). You can still seek help for this.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)


Dissociative identity disorder used to be called ‘multiple personality
disorder’.

If you have dissociative identity disorder you will experience severe


changes in your identity. Different aspects of your identity may be in
control of your behaviour and thoughts at different times.

• Each of your identity states may have different patterns of thinking


and relating to the world.
• Your identity states may come across as different ages and genders.
• You may feel you have one ‘main’ part of your identity that feels
most like ‘you’ – some people call this a host identity.
• The different parts of your identity may have memories or
experiences that conflict with each other.
• Some people call these different parts of your identity ‘alters’ or
‘parts’.
• You might not have control over when different parts of your
identity take over.
• You may suffer from amnesia which means you don’t remember
what happens when another part of your identity is in control.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

I have many separate, distinct and unique ‘parts’ of my


personality. My ‘parts’ or ‘alters’ collectively add up to the total
person that is me... They are each a letter, and I am a
sentence.

See PODS and First Person Plural for more information on DID.

Do I have multiple personalities?


Dissociative identity disorder is still sometimes called multiple personality
disorder (MPD). This is because many people experience the changes in
parts of their identity as completely separate personalities in one body. In
fact the parts of your identity are all part of one personality but they are
not joined up or working together as a whole.

Dissociative identity disorder is not a personality disorder. It is the result of


a natural way of coping with sustained childhood trauma. ‘What are the
causes?’ on p.9 has more info.

Other dissociative disorders


There are a number of other dissociative disorders. The diagnosis you are
given will depend on the symptoms you experience most and how these
affect your life.

These are the main symptoms or characteristics of each disorder:

If you have... You will...


depersonalisation experience regular depersonalisation or
or derealisation derealisation
disorder
dissociative be unable to remember important information
amnesia about who you are, your life history or specific
events

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What are the causes?

dissociative experience a state of mind where you forget


amnesia with everything about who you are (a fugue) – in the
fugue fugue you may travel to a new location and act
like a different person in a different life
other specified have dissociative symptoms that don’t fit into
dissociative any other diagnosis – the person making your
disorder (OSDD) diagnosis will explain why your symptoms don’t
fit into any other diagnosis
unspecified have dissociative symptoms that don’t fit into
dissociative any other diagnosis but the person making your
disorder (UDD) diagnosis hasn’t explained why not or doesn’t
have enough information to make a full
diagnosis (for example in an emergency)

Other mental health problems


Many people with dissociative disorders have other mental health
problems too. These can include borderline personality disorder,
depression, anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal feelings, hearing voices or
OCD.

They may be associated with dissociation or they could be a separate


problem.

What are the causes?


Dissociative disorders are usually caused when dissociation is used a lot to
survive complex trauma over a long time and during childhood when the
brain and personality are developing.

Dissociation is a normal defence mechanism that helps us cope during


trauma. But it can become a dissociative disorder if your environment is

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Understanding dissociative disorders

no longer traumatic but you still act as if it is. And if the dissociation you
needed to protect yourself means you haven’t been able to process past
traumatic experiences.

You may get so used to using dissociation as a coping strategy that you
do not develop other strategies and you start to use dissociation to deal
with any kind of stress.

It became uncontrollable and it would happen in various places


when I felt stressed or under threat.

How does trauma cause dissociation?


Trauma can cause dissociation because of the way we respond to threat.
There are different theories about how exactly this leads to different
dissociative disorders.

You may have heard of fight or flight. They are instinctive ways that we
respond to threatening situations. But if you can’t do these things (for
example if you are very young) then you may respond by ‘freezing’ or
‘flopping’.
• The freeze response makes the body immobile and releases
chemicals which ‘numbs’ your body and mind. You might feel
paralysed or unable to move.
• The flop response is where lots of the thinking processes in the
brain are shut off. Your muscles become floppy and you act a bit like
a zombie – doing what you are told without protest.

Our instinctive reactions to threat are the basis of dissociative experiences.

One theory suggests that whenever we think there is a threat, our body
reduces blood flow to areas in the front of our brain (the thinking,
analytical, rational part) and ‘turns on’ areas in our back brain (the
automatic, instinctive part).

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What are the causes?

Using our back brain to freeze or flop helps protect us from trauma that
we can’t prevent or run away from. But reducing the blood flow to the
front brain can make it more difficult to process what happens and may
mean we experience dissociative symptoms.

The front brain includes areas which help us:


• understand where we are in time and space
• use language and speech
• feel connected to our body
• store memories
• make sense of information coming through our senses

You might separate different parts of an experience so you do not have to


deal with it all together. Different parts of the experience (such as actions,
memories, feelings, thoughts, sensations and perceptions) may not be
‘joined up’.

I would disconnect myself from being in the room where the


abuse was happening. I almost felt like I was watching it happen to
me but I wasn’t feeling it or wasn’t part of it. It became something
that happened automatically.

For example, you might store an experience in a way you can’t access day
to day (this is usually called amnesia). Or you might remember what
happened but don’t feel the emotions or sensations that were part of it
(this is usually called derealisation).

If you experience dissociative identity disorder (DID), you might feel as if


different memories, sensations or beliefs happened to different people
(usually called identity states) inside you.

This can help you cope if the things that happened would be too much for
you to deal with all together as a child – but may prevent you from
developing one clear identity as you grow up.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

What makes dissociative disorders more likely?


Not everyone who experiences trauma will have a dissociative disorder but
many experts agree that these things make it more likely:
• abuse begins at an early age (the younger you are the harder you
will find it to cope with traumatic experiences without dissociation)
• abuse is severe and repeated over a long period – or by many
people
• abuse is painful and makes you scared
• there is no adult who you have a good relationship with and is able
to provide comfort and help you process and deal with the trauma
• the abuse is done by someone you feel attached to
• the abuser tells you that things didn’t happen or that you were
dreaming
• things are different at different times – for example things seem
normal during the day but at night you are abused.

You can read more about the causes of dissociative identity disorder on
the PODS website.

For more support you can contact:


• The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)
offers support for adults who were abused as children.
• Survivors UK provides support for men who have been abused.
• Childline is there to help children who are upset or scared about
anything, including abuse.
• If you are worried about a child you know, the National Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) can help.
• See ‘Useful contacts’ on p.25.

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How will I be diagnosed?

How will I be diagnosed?


Diagnosing dissociative disorders
If you think you have a dissociative disorder, ask your GP or psychiatrist to
refer you for a full assessment. You may have a meeting with both a
psychotherapist and a psychiatrist as part of your assessment.

The person assessing you should have specialist training and a good
understanding of dissociative disorders. (PODS can put you in touch with
people who have this training).

They should check whether your experiences of dissociation might be


explained by:
• drugs and some medication, which can sometimes cause
dissociation
• a physical cause
• any cultural or religious practices that may explain your experiences.

If your dissociative symptoms are caused by drugs or medication then you


won’t be diagnosed with a dissociative disorder.

Your diagnosis will depend on:


• the way you experience dissociation
• whether you have other symptoms
• whether your symptoms are having an impact on your life and
causing you distress.

Your mental health professionals might use questionnaires to help them


make a diagnosis that fits best with your experience. If this seems to fit
the description of another mental health problem better, then you may be
given this diagnosis instead.

Not everyone finds it helpful to get a diagnosis. Even if you don’t get a
specific diagnosis you can still seek help for your symptoms.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

What can I do if I disagree with my diagnosis?


If you are worried that your diagnosis doesn’t fit the way you feel it’s
important to discuss it with a mental health professional so you can get
the right treatment.

It may help to ask your doctor to refer you to a mental health professional
who knows about dissociation for a full assessment. If you are not
satisfied with the assessment and support you have received from local
mental health services then The Clinic for Dissociative Studies may be able
to help.

Mind’s resource ‘Seeking help for a mental health problem’ has information
about how to make sure your voice is heard, and what you can do if
you’re not happy with your doctor.

Why is it hard to get diagnosed?


Dissociative disorders can be difficult to diagnose. There are different
reasons why you might not get the right diagnosis straight away:
• Mental health professionals don’t usually get enough
training on dissociative disorders. They might not even think
about the possibility of a dissociative disorder, when assessing your
mental health. This means that they might not ask you the right
questions about your symptoms.
• Understanding more about your life history can help mental
health professionals make a diagnosis. But they don’t always
ask about childhood abuse or trauma at an assessment. Even if they
do ask, you may not remember it (if you experience amnesia) – or
you may find it too hard to talk about.
• Some people coping with dissociative symptoms try to keep
them hidden from others. It might feel difficult to talk openly
about your experiences.
• Some people still call DID ‘multiple personality disorder’, so
some doctors might be looking for personality disorder symptoms
instead of dissociative disorder symptoms.

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How can I help myself cope?

Dissociative disorders and other mental health problems


You might experience a dissociative disorder on its own, or alongside
another mental health problem. If you do experience another mental
health problem, this can make it hard for mental health professionals to
understand whether it’s appropriate to give you a diagnosis of a
dissociative disorder.

Some problems include:


• Borderline personality disorder. This can also be caused by
long-term trauma, and dissociative experiences can be a symptom.
• If you are experiencing dissociative symptoms as part of
another mental health problem the person assessing you may
not identify that you have a dissociative disorder as well.
• You might have symptoms of other mental health problems
that you experience as well as – or because of – your dissociative
disorder. If your doctor is more familiar with these mental health
problems they may only diagnose these problems without realising
that you also have a dissociative disorder.

How can I help myself cope?


Looking after yourself with dissociative identity disorder
DID can make looking after yourself harder. You might find that different
parts of your identity have different needs. You may need to use different
techniques for coping and looking after yourself depending on which part
of your identity is in control.

Keep a journal
Keeping a journal can help you understand and remember different parts
of your experience. It could:
• include writing and artwork you do at different times and, if you
have DID, in different identity states

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Understanding dissociative disorders

• help improve the connections and awareness between different


parts of your identity by reading entries from them
• help you remember more about what happened in the gaps in your
memory.

Using a journal to express my inner turmoil helps me


deal with it.

Try visualisation
Visualisation is a way of using your imagination to create internal scenes
and environments that help you stay safe and contain difficult feelings and
thoughts. For example:
• you might find that imagining you are wearing protective clothing
helps you feel more relaxed in stressful situations
• it might help to imagine a place that feels safe to you (and your
different identity states) – when you feel anxious or threatened, you
can imagine going to this place for peace and safety.

If you experience different identity states, you might be able to imagine a


place where they can all meet together and talk. Your therapist might help
you to do this too.

Try grounding techniques


Grounding techniques can keep you connected to the present and help
you avoid feelings, memories, flashbacks or intrusive thoughts that you
don’t feel able to cope with yet. You could try:
• breathing slowly
• listening to sounds around you
• walking barefoot
• wrapping yourself in a blanket and feeling it around you
• touching something or sniffing something with a strong smell.

Focus on the sensations you are feeling right now. You might find it helpful
to keep a box of things with different textures and smells (for example
perfume, a blanket and some smooth stones) ready for when you need it.
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How can I help myself cope?

First Person Plural has more tips for grounding and dealing with flashbacks
on their website (see ‘Useful contacts’ on p.25).

It’s strange because it took me a long time to realise I didn’t


need to dissociate to keep myself safe.

Think about practical strategies


Dissociation can make day to day life difficult. Practical strategies could
help you cope, such as:
• wearing a watch with the time and date
• keeping a list of friends and family and their contact details
• writing notes to yourself in the house or on a whiteboard

Make a personal crisis plan


A personal crisis plan is a document you make when you are well. It
explains what you would like to happen if you are not well enough to
make decisions about your treatment or other aspects of your life.
Sometimes it is called an ‘advance statement’. Mind has lots more
information about making crisis plans on its website (mind.org.uk).

PODS produces DID Emergency Information cards which you can order for
free from its website (pods-online.org.uk).

Talk to other people with similar experiences


• Try peer support. Unfortunately, there are not many peer support
groups specifically for people with complex dissociative disorders,
but you can contact First Person Plural for more information, and
see Mind’s pages on ‘Peer support’.
• Read other people’s experiences. If you don’t want to talk, you
may still find it helpful to read about other people’s experiences.
This can give you new perspectives and help give you ideas about
new ways of dealing with dissociation. You can read others’
experiences on online forums or find some on the PODS website.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

Look after yourself


• Try to get enough sleep. Sleep can give you the energy to cope with
difficult feelings and experiences. You might find it helpful to learn
relaxation techniques. Mind’s pages on ‘Coping with sleep problems’
and ‘Relaxation’ have more information.
• Think about your diet. Eating regularly and keeping your blood
sugar stable can make a difference to your mood and energy levels.
Mind’s pages on ‘Food and mood’ have more information.
• Try to take some exercise. Exercise can be really helpful for your
mental wellbeing. Mind’s pages on ‘Sport, physical activity and
mental health’ have more information.

Depersonalisation, derealisation and dissociation are now only


occasional features in my life. But when I am under a lot of stress
or not sleeping properly, I find I dissociate more.

Dealing with stigma


Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t understand much about dissociative
disorders, and may hold misconceptions about you. This can be really
upsetting, especially if the people who feel this way are family, friends or
colleagues.

It’s important to remember that you aren’t alone and you don’t have to
put up with people treating you badly. Here are some options for you to
think about:
• Show people this information to help them understand more about
dissociative disorders.
• Talk to other people who have dissociative disorders by going to a
support group – or setting one up for yourself.
• Share your experience with others. Mind publishes blogs and video
blogs (mental health selfies) on its website.
• Know your rights. Mind’s legal rights resources provide more
information.
• Take action with Mind. See our campaigning page for details of the
different ways you can get involved with helping us challenge stigma.
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What treatments can help?

What treatments can help?


Can I recover from a dissociative disorder?
Yes – if you have the right diagnosis and treatment, there is a good
chance you will recover. This might mean that you stop experiencing
dissociative symptoms and any separate parts of your identity merge to
become one sense of self.

Not everyone will stop experiencing dissociative symptoms completely but


treatment can help you feel more in control of your life and your identity.
Some people find that being able to dissociate is comforting and don’t feel
ready to stop dissociating completely.

Talking treatments
Talking treatments are the recommended treatment for dissociative
disorders. Counselling or psychotherapy will help you explore traumatic
events in your past, help you understand why you dissociate and develop
alternative coping mechanisms. It can also help you manage your
emotions and your relationships.

Slowly my other parts are telling me about their memories of


my abuse and I am telling them about my life now and, bit by bit,
we are piecing things together and working through it with the help
of counselling.

Accessing therapy
Most talking treatments for dissociative disorders take several years, but
unfortunately in most areas the NHS offers short or medium term therapy.
This isn’t usually effective in treating dissociative disorders.

You may need to be very persistent to get the right help from the NHS, or
consider alternative ways to access treatment. An advocate may be able
to help. See Mind’s online pages on ‘Advocacy’ for more information.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

You might want to seek therapy outside the NHS:


• The European Society for Trauma and Dissociation provides contact
details for people who can help you find a therapist.
• The Survivors Trust and PODS have more information about
organisations and therapists too. You may be able to get low cost or
free therapy through voluntary organisations.
• PODS can also help you find a private therapist.

Choosing a therapist
Not all therapists are familiar with dissociation or working with trauma. It
may take time to find a therapist that feels right for you.

It’s absolutely fine to meet with as many therapists as you need to find
the one you want to work with. The therapist you choose should be:
• accepting of your experience
• willing to work with or learn to work with dissociation and trauma
• be prepared to work with you long term

See Mind’s pages on ‘Talking treatments’ for more information on choosing


a therapist.

I have learnt ways to control it and have began to be able to


explore my feelings about my past without using dissociation to
cope with it.

Medication
There are no drugs that are licensed to treat dissociation. Your doctor
might offer you psychiatric medication to treat other symptoms or
problems you might experience because of – or as well as – a dissociative
disorder, such as depression, anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal feelings,
hearing voices and OCD.

These might include antidepressants, antipsychotics or mood stabilisers.

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What is non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD)?

You will only be given medication for dissociative identity disorder (DID) if
most of the different parts of your identity (or at least the dominant one)
experience the problem you want to treat.

Can eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) be used


to treat dissociative disorders?
EMDR was created to help people process traumatic memories. But
standard EMDR is not helpful for most people with dissociative disorders
and the treatment should be adjusted to make it safe and effective. EMDR
for dissociative disorders focuses on specific individual memories and
usually for shorter time periods.

This helps make it less intense and prevents too many traumatic
memories appearing too quickly (flooding). It should only be used when
you are feeling reasonably stable and by professionals who are
knowledgeable about treating dissociative disorders.

What is non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD)?


Some people with dissociative disorders also experience physical
symptoms such as seizures. These seizures don’t seem to have a physical
cause. These are called dissociative seizures or non-epileptic attacks. You
may be given the diagnosis of non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD).

Although they don’t have a physical cause this does not mean that they
are not real or that you are acting.

If you have a dissociative seizure you may:


• have convulsions of the arms, legs, head or body (on one side or
affecting the whole body)
• lose control of your bladder
• bite your tongue

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Understanding dissociative disorders

• go blank or stare in an unseeing way


• have other symptoms that look like epilepsy.

My own non-epileptic seizures are similar to a tonic epileptic


seizure – going stiff and rigid, gasping. This is combined with visual
disturbances.

It is thought that dissociative seizures are caused by the brain dealing


with overwhelming stress by ‘shutting down’. You can find out more about
non-epileptic attacks on:
• the Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder (NEAD) website
• Epilepsy Action’s website (see ‘Useful contacts’ on p.25).

What can friends or family do to help?


This page is for family and friends who want to support someone with a
dissociative disorder.

It can be really hard to see someone you care about experiencing the
symptoms of a dissociative disorder. But family and friends can really help.
This page has some suggestions for ways you can support them while also
looking after your own wellbeing.

Having understanding family and friends helps me.

Try to be patient and understanding in daily life


• Dissociative symptoms may mean they do not always respond to
you as you expect.
• Ask them what would help but be aware that they may not always
know or be able to tell you.
• If they want to tell you about their experience try to listen with
acceptance.

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What can friends or family do to help?

• Touching and intimacy can be difficult for some people. It might


help to ask them what is OK and talk about this together.

Think about how to deal with identity alteration


If they experience identity alteration you may find that you have to
communicate with different parts of their identity at different times.
• You may need to develop different ways of managing when different
parts of their identity are in control.
• Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivors (PODS) suggests that
you try to find some way of relating to each part of their identity. Its
website has more suggestions for supporting someone with
dissociative identity disorder.
• Try to stay calm and be a safe and soothing presence even if they
are upset, angry or scared.

Help them to find the right support


You can:
• help them find an advocate and support them to meet with different
therapists
• offer extra support and understanding before and after therapy
sessions
• help them to make a crisis plan if they think it would be helpful.

There may be times when you can’t offer them the support they need.
Think about who is the best person to contact at these times. Have a look
at our information on supporting someone to seek help.

Think about how you could help keep them safe


• Your loved one may have triggers that bring on dissociative
symptoms and flashbacks. Understanding their triggers means you
can help them avoid them, and feel more prepared for dissociative
symptoms when they occur.
• If someone you love is hurting themselves or struggling

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Understanding dissociative disorders

with suicidal thoughts, it can feel really scary. See Mind’s


pages on ‘Supporting someone who feels suicidal’ and ‘Self harm’
for more information.
• If they experience amnesia, flashbacks or identity alteration
they may need more help to stay safe during these times. Talk to
them about what you can do to help.

Look after yourself


It’s important to make sure you look after yourself too.
• You might find it helpful to find a therapist for yourself too. Have a
look at Mind’s information on ‘Talking treatments’.
• Have a look at our information on ‘How to cope as a carer’ and ‘How
to improve your mental wellbeing’.
• It can help to talk to other people with similar experiences. PODS
online forum has a section for carers and supporters.

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Useful contacts

Useful contacts
Clinic for Dissociative Studies The International Society for the
Web: clinicds.co.uk Study of Trauma and Dissociation
Accepts NHS referrals. Website has (ISSTD)
useful information about dissociative Web: isst-d.org
disorders. Academic society providing
information for professionals and
Childline the general public about trauma and
Tel: 0800 1111 dissociation research.
Web: childline.org.uk
Support for children who are National Association for People
worried or upset about anything – Abused in Childhood
including abuse. Tel: 0808 801 0331 (freephone from
landline and mobiles)
Epilepsy Action Web: napac.org.uk
Web: epilepsy.org.uk Provides a range of services which
Information about non epileptic offer direct support to survivors of
attack disorder (NEAD). abuse.

European Society for Trauma and NEAD Non-Epileptic Attack


Dissociation Disorder
Web: estd.org Web: nonepilepticattackdisorder.org.
Includes links to online information uk
on psychological trauma and Provides information and support for
dissociative disorders. people who experience non-epileptic
attacks.
First Person Plural
Web: firstpersonplural.org.uk National Society for the Prevention
Support and information for people of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
who experience complex Tel: 0808 800 5000
dissociative disorders and their Web: nspcc.org.uk
family and friends. Help for adults concerned about a
child.

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Understanding dissociative disorders

Useful contacts
PODS (Positive Outcomes for
Dissociative Survivors)
Tel: 0800 181 4420
web: pods-online.org.uk
Information, support and crisis
cards for people with a dissociative
disorder.

Survivors UK
Web: survivorsuk.org
Support for men who have
experienced rape or sexual abuse.

The Survivors Trust


Tel: 01788 550 554
web: thesurvivorstrust.org
Lists local specialist organisations
dealing with sexual abuse and
violence.

26
What can friends or family do to help?

Support Mind
Providing information costs money. We really value donations, which
enable us to get our information to more people who need it. Just
£5 could help another 15 people in need receive essential practical
information. If you would like to support our work with a donation, please
contact us on:

tel: 0300 999 1946


email: supportercare@mind.org.uk
web: mind.org.uk/donate

This information was written by Clare Foster.

We welcome feedback on our publications.


To give feedback on this booklet, email us at
mindinfoteam@mind.org.uk

Published by Mind 2016 © 2016.


To be revised 2019.
Mind
ISBN 978-1-910494-16-5 (National Association for Mental Health)
London E15 4BQ
No reproduction without permission tel: 020 8519 2122
References available on request fax: 020 8522 1725
Mind is a registered charity No. 219830 web: mind.org.uk
Mind

We’re Mind, the mental health charity for


England and Wales. We believe no one should
have to face a mental health problem alone.
We’re here for you. Today. Now. We’re on your
doorstep, on the end of a phone or online.
Whether you’re stressed, depressed or in crisis.
We’ll listen, give you advice, support and fight
your corner. And we’ll push for a better deal
and respect for everyone experiencing a mental
health problem.

Mind Infoline: 0300 123 3393


info@mind.org.uk
mind.org.uk

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mindforbettermentalhealth

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